


Antagonist

by BlueberryDahlias



Series: The Antag-verse [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Gay superheroes!!, Superheroes!, Villain/Hero, gays!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueberryDahlias/pseuds/BlueberryDahlias
Summary: A villain wants to find the secret identity of her hero, so she does. But the problem is, she’s afraid to reveal her own identity to the hero. She doesn’t want to lose the hero as a friend... or perhaps something more.Come join the Tumblr at: https://theantagverse.tumblr.com/There’s also an ask series on Tumblr: https://asktheantagkiddos.tumblr.com/Or even the Discord!: https://discord.gg/56nftsf
Relationships: Chrissy Chandler/Harper Reed
Series: The Antag-verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779124
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue: Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been two years since Divergence and Valkyrie’s first fight. Valkyrie disappeared a few months ago, but Divergence knows what will bring her hero back to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really fun to write, I hope you enjoy!!

The hero threw the villain against a wall. “I don’t know who you think you are, but this ends  _ now _ .” She growled.

Divergence raised a sly eyebrow, despite the pain in her back. She was trying her best to be confident, but this young hero made it difficult. “Oh, does it now?” She smirked, grazing gentle fingers across Valkyrie’s cheek, loving the way the hero’s round face flushed. 

The name Valkyrie was beautiful to Divergence. The way she’d earned it was a spectacular tale. The whole town witnessed the first time she used her powers in public. It had been like a star exploded, sparkling and golden; a wave of energy and light. The city decided on the name “Valkyrie” from Norse mythology.

That was recaptured in her eyes. A supernova of gold, orange, and hints of electric blue, like lightning. It temporarily distracted Divergence of the problem at hand. But she was brought back to reality as Valkyrie pressed a blade to her throat. 

“How  _ dare  _ you! You will regret that, you  _ pedazo de mierda! _ ” The hero hissed, the color in her face still not quite there

The villain laughed, despite the axe at her throat. “That’s rather uncalled for,” Her hands glowed purple and green as she waved away the axe, sending it flying across the room, “I feel you haven’t been a hero long enough to tell  _ me _ what to do, Miss Val.” She tried out the nickname, smiling at the sound of it. She walked away from Valkyrie, stopping in the center of the room. Divergence grinned at the axe made of light embedded in the wall. “You should be more careful with your weapons, little hero. The wrong person–” she stuck out a hand and the axe flew to her, her hair blowing to the side with the rush of air, but then settling around her again, “–could use them against you.”

Valkyrie looked mesmerized at first, but then her eyes widened as she began to panic. The moment of panic was brief but Divergence saw it and smiled. 

_ A weakness.  _ All heroes and villains have them. And Valkyrie? She’d only been a hero for a few months now and was scared. Divergence, on the other hand, was more experienced. She’d been doing the villain gig for two years, and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. 

“So yes, how  _ dare _ I offend you! Whatever shall you do?” Divergence stood before Valkyrie, grinning maliciously, “Are you going to go run to your mother?” She changed herself into looking like the hero, for she was a shapeshifter and absolutely  _ loved  _ using this form of trickery, “Mommy! That  _ horrid _ villain stole my weapon!” She turned back, laughing to herself. 

During this whole charade, Valkyrie was looking more and more indignant, which just amused Divergence expenitially. “Indeed, go cry to mother, little hero. Go cry.” She broke the axe over her knee, her eyes flashing green and purple.   


*****

Divergence walked with her head low, silver-gray eyes illuminated by each passing set of headlights. It went like this night after night, as this so-called villain wandered the streets, hoping for a set of glistening, golden eyes to sweep over her own, or a shock of strawberry blonde hair to walk past. But every night, her heart sunk further, and this rainy world’s dull hues refused to open up and reveal her hero in hiding. It seemed that maybe it was best to leave it unsearched for; unknown. Until now…

*****

It’s been two years since Valkyrie and I first met. We’ve fought plenty of times over the years, but I haven’t seen her in several months. I’ve been stuck fighting all these other sorry little skanks in her absence. I suppose that I may just need to cause a ruckus that will catch her attention. I need a plan. I smile as the perfect idea comes together in my mind. All I need to do is to spring the perfect trap.


	2. The Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Divergence set her trap to lure out Valkyrie, now to see if it’ll actually work...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings:  
> \- brief gun mention at the beginning  
> \- fighting

I laugh as the policemen fire at me, missing with every bullet. My hair swishes behind me in the wind. So far, no supers have appeared, so I just keep going. I turn and blow a kiss to the men and women shooting at me. They look stunned, and I smile. 

From behind me, I feel someone tackle me. We fly through an open window. I stand and brush off my outfit. When I see the person’s long strawberry blonde hair and tan skin, I grin, “Ah, Valkyrie! Lovely to see you again!” I give a bit of a sing-song tone to my voice. 

Valkyrie puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head, her wavy hair, just as bouncy and vibrant as I remember it, dangling over her shoulders, “Divergence,” She regards me. 

I bring my hands to my heart, “So wonderful of you to drop by! It’s been quite a while,” I see a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I almost believed you weren’t coming at all!”

“Well, it’s what heroes are meant to do; stop the bad guys.” She shrugs.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m a bad guy, my dear girl. I am  _ evil _ , however.” I take a few steps forward, “But of course, as a hero, your job is to ‘destroy evil’, now isn’t it?” 

“That’s always the way things have been, haven’t they…?” She looks up at me with the same wistfulness and confidence I’ve seen grow over the years. She clears her throat. “Enough of this, it’s time you finally go to prison for all the harm you’ve caused.”

I smile, “Being in handcuffs would be  _ quite _ a disadvantage, don’t you think?” 

“Not really. It ought to be  _ more  _ fair.” Her light axe appears in her hand. “Now just come along quietly, and you won’t get hurt.”

I put a finger to my bottom lip, pretending to be lost in thought. “Hm… how about…” I smile, “ _ No _ .” I snap my fingers, making her fall asleep. She floats in the air, her eyes closed. She looks peaceful. 

I snap again, sending her to my lair. Then I fly out the window and smile at the police that have gathered. “Well, your presence is greatly appreciated. But I only needed her. Back to your business!” I clap twice, restoring the mess around us and sending all of the police back home.

I fly to my lair and see Valkyrie trying to escape the chair she is tied in, which makes me smile with all the memories. “Don’t try to escape, Miss Val. You should know by now that you won’t be able to.” She looks up suddenly. 

“So you  _ are  _ here.” She scowls at me.

“And you awoke fairly quickly. But you’ve always been this versatile.” I perch on top of my desk, crossing my ankles.   
  
“What is it you want from me?” She demands.

I stand, smiling, and walk behind her, lightly tracing her shoulders with my fingertips. Is it just my imagination, or did she relax a bit? “I just want to talk. Where have you been all this time, little hero? Am I no longer a pleasure for you?” 

“I… was, um… busy. And a pleasure? Hah!” she smiles sarcastically, “it’ll be a pleasure when I finally see you behind bars!”

“Oh please!” I clasp my hands together as I stand in front of her and lean down to her level. “You couldn’t get me in there if you tried. You’ve been out the game for quite some time, my dear.” 

“I may not be as agile, that’s true, but I can sure as  _ hell _ kick your ass.” She raises an eyebrow and smirks. That adorable little smirk that I’ve seen a million times. Time to wipe it off her smug little face.

“Do you have anything going on today? Other hero work? A job for your secret identity, perhaps?” I ask after a few seconds.

There’s a genuine smile playing across her lips now, “Why, Divergence, are you asking me on a date…?” 

I smile back, warming up to the idea. “Maybe…” I lean down to her level again, running my finger along her jaw, just as I did the first time we met. Her face softens at the gentle touch and her cheeks flush, “But not just yet.” I take my hand away. “You may go now.” I snap my fingers, untying her. “You know how to get out,” I turn away from her, fixing some things on my desk that are askew.

I see her draw her axe through the reflection of a wine glass.

“You didn’t think it was going to be  _ that  _ easy, did you?” I whip around and grab the handle of the axe, trying to wrench it out of her hands. She only holds onto it tighter, slowly pulling it out of my grip. We stagger across the room, trying to get the axe away from each other. It’s just like old times. This happened once before… 

_ “Well now, Divergence, I didn’t expect you to be this strong.” She grinned through the sweat on her face. _

_ “Why’s that?” I said through clenched teeth. _

_ “You don’t seem to be built that way. I, on the other hand, have super strength.” Her grip tightened on the axe.  _

_ I raised a playful eyebrow, “oh, so you were checking me out? That’s quite forward of you, Miss Val.”  _

_ Her face flooded with color, “no. I just happened to notice that you’re not very muscular.” _

And again, this feels like something new. Oh, how I’ve missed this.

“Let’s see just how strong you  _ really  _ are, Divergence.” She smiles. Our faces are only inches apart.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. I know you’re holding back. If you truly wanted to kill me, you would’ve already! Come now, Valkyrie, be–oof!” She pushes me up against the wall. My back digs into the cold cement. She gets the axe away from me and holds the blade to my throat. It’s the same thing that happened two years ago, when she barely knew her powers. But this time? Something’s different.

This time, she seems so strong and confident. Taller. More stunning. I look at her eyes; they aren’t scared anymore. They’re full of compassion, but also fury. The same supernova of gold is there; still as fascinating as I remember. I see the faded white scar that travels from the right side of her jaw to the apple of her cheek. I gave that to her back in July of last year. I regret that. I hadn't meant to hurt her.

“You’re right. If I wanted to kill you, I would. But…” she bites her lip, “I  _ don’t _ want to. I’ll spare you this time. But,” she presses the blade deeper into my neck. It’s starting to break skin. I struggle to keep my breathing shallow, each rising breath interrupted by the sting of the blade. “If I catch you doing anything out of the ordinary, you’d better find a good place to hide. Understand?” 

“Yes.” I croak out and she removes the axe from my throat. The moment she relieves me of the blade, I slump against the wall. She takes a glance back before taking off, the light of her axe flickering out as she places it on her belt. I stay there for a long moment, gulping in air.

She came back.

For  _ me. _


	3. Behind the Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christina goes out to a bar, only to be met with a few surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- alcohol

I could do it. I could go out. Maybe tonight will be the night I find her? I have to. I need to find my Valkyrie.

I put on one of my favorite dresses and watch in the mirror as my illusions fade away, layer after layer till my face is back to being my face, silver eyes fade to dull brown, my hair rearranges itself until it’s brushed against my shoulders, turning from black to chestnut brown.

Watching the transformation reminds me of my sister; we have the same completion, but she’s always had a darker edge to her looks. Her hair is silky and dark, much like her eyes, which hold a gleam of higher knowledge that I will never even be close to rivaling.

I take off into the street, wandering endlessly through the city, past cafes and old timey diners, until their warm glow fades into bright neons and fluorescent lighting. As I continue to walk, the atmosphere and the sky above gets darker and darker, until I can feel it settling over me like a thick fog. As an attempt to get away from this weight, I duck into the nearest brightly lit building.

Once I’m inside, I realize it’s just a bar, which isn’t half as bad what I could of stumbled into at this time of night. I let myself relax, taking on a more Divergence-like gait as I saunter through, sliding gracefully onto a barstool. 

__ I order a double shot of tequila. But while I wait, two clearly drunk men come up to me, trying to flirt with me.

I smile slightly, “I hate to break it to you, boys, but I’m  _ not _ interested.” 

One of them reaches out to touch my knee, “but we could make you interested.” 

I smack his hand away, “Trust me. I won’t. I’m gay, dumbass.” 

“We could change your mind, sweetheart.” The second one pipes up. I feel my eyes flash silver as my anger and annoyance peaks. I’m about to take them outside to kill them in a goddamn alley, but someone interrupts.

“The lady said no, boys.” The girl in the seat next to me says. I look at her and see that her hair is  _ strawberry blonde.  _ That doesn’t mean anything, right? Plenty of people have blonde hair. But her skin is  _ tan.  _ Her eyes aren’t gold, though. And she doesn’t have the scar, “Move along.” They start to protest but she cracks her knuckles and stands up. She grabs the collar of one of their shirts. She says something in a low voice, and I can’t quite catch what she said until she raises her voice again, “So, Back.  _ Off _ .” She lets go and the two men run out of the bar like frightened puppies, tails between their legs. 

She turns to me, “Are you okay?” She asks. I nod. She extends a hand to me, “my name’s Harper Reed. Yours?”

“Christina Chandler.” I shake her hand and look at her eyes. They are soft, full of compassion, like Valkyrie’s. But Harper’s are blue, not gold. But then again, everything else is the same.

The bartender finally gives me my drink. I thank him and try to pay, but insists that it’s on the house. I smirk.

_ If he only knew who I was... _

“Christina, hm?” Harper smiles thoughtfully, “Christina is a bit of a mouthful, mind if I call ya Chrissy?”

I shrug, “okay.” I take my shot, then set the glass back on the counter. “Nope! Shouldn’t have picked something so hard for the first thing, blegh…” I shake my head, especially not liking the aftertaste.

Harper grins at the bartender, “I’ll have what she had.” She tries it and her expression sours at the taste

I laugh, “Pretty odd, huh?” 

She nods, a half smile gracing her face. “Exceedingly.”

“So, Harper, tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?” I ask. 

“Eh… it’s not that exciting…” she says, haphazardly rubbing the back of her neck. 

“No, c’mon! I wanna get to know you since you basically saved my life.” I slide my stool close enough for our elbows to brush.

“Well,” she smiles nervously, “I do photography.” She slides her thumb across the side of her shot glass, wiping off the condensation, “It’s not much to live on, but I get by.”

“Photography?” I tilt my head, “What’s the best shot you’ve ever gotten?” She looks back up and gets a wistful expression. I can tell she has her answer immediately. Her eyes seem far away as she speaks.

“The moment the sun touches the horizon, for a split second the world is drenched in gold, and then it’s gone just like that, and the sky fades back to its soft hues of orange and pink. It’s only a trick of the light, but I find it beautiful.” Her eyes shine gold for a moment as she continues on, and I blink a few times, “I’ve only managed to capture it on camera once, but every night I go out on the roof to watch it. But even a camera can’t capture how beautiful it is.”

She blushes and looks down at her nails, their black polish chipping, “...I was ranting. You could've just told me to stop if you wanted; I bet it was borin–”

“No, no! It sounded fascinating. I’ve never noticed that before. I’ve been living in Newport since I was a kid, and I never saw it.” I tap my shot glass on the counter, distracted. “Maybe you could show me tomorrow?” I ask.

She hesitates for a moment, as if working out the risks of bringing an almost total stranger into her house and home, and must have decided I am worth the risk. She nods, “sure, I’d like that.”

Harper turns to the bartender, “Two shots of vodka, please?” She pays the bartender and thanks him with a dazzling smile. 

She hands me a glass, and lifts her own. “To our new friendship and memories to come!” She clicks her glass to mine. The moment our lips hit the rim of the glasses, it’s as if our fates sealed, as if the small act has twinned her destiny with my own. And I’m not entirely against that. Our glasses clink back against the counter and the moment is over. We are, once again, just strangers in a bar, but a little less strange than before.

“When was the last time you had alcohol?” Harper asks.

“A few months ago. I don’t drink much. I just showed up tonight because needed a night out.” I shrug.

“Well, I’m glad you did. We wouldn’t have met otherwise.” She grins. I smile back. 

Even though she could be Valkyrie, I see this as an opportunity to  _ actually _ have a friend. Now that I think about it, her being Valkyrie is perfect. I have a real way to get to know her, and not capture her and only  _ try  _ to sway her as a villain. As Divergence, she’ll always be at arm's length, and I’ll never truly know her. But maybe, as a regular person…

I may just have a shot.

_ ***** _

As we stand out front of the bar, waiting for an open taxi, Harper shivers in the cold. I shrug off my leather jacket and give it to her. She smiles in gratitude and pulls it on over her t-shirt. I rub my bare arms.

“Do you need it back?” She asks, seeing my shuddering.

I shake my head, “No, no. You need it more than me.” I insist. She nods reluctantly.

A taxi with its light on finally pulls up to the curb. I open the back door for Harper. She smiles and gets in. I slide into the seat next to her. 

“Where are you ladies headed?” The taxi driver asks.

Harper gives him the address, then pulls on her seatbelt. She stares out the window as we go. She has the eyes of a true artist, capturing even the most minor of details as she watches the landscape fly by. “I wish I had my camera.” She tells me. 

I laugh softly. “You’ll have to show it to me.” 

She smiles brightly, “I will.” 

After a short while of riding in silence, and me trying to will the scar to appear on her cheek, we finally get to her apartment. Harper goes to pay the driver, but I stop her. “Let me.” I say. 

I hand the cash to him. “Keep the change,” I tell him.

Harper and I get out of the car. She smiles and waves at the driver as he leaves. Harper leads me to the elevator and presses the button for the fifth floor. 

“So, I, um… I was planning on painting that sunset I talked about.” she tucks her stray hair behind her ear. She sighs, “It’s really dumb…”

I smile. “That’s not dumb. That sounds really cool! Maybe I could help you with it?” I tilt my head.

She finally smiles back, “I would love that.” 

“I could come over tomorrow?” I offer.

“Only if you want to. I-I wouldn’t wanna force you into anything you don’t want to do.” She says, sounding a bit flustered. I nod; I definitely want to.

We exchange contact information, and I head home to collapse on my bed. I have hope for the first time in years. All thanks to her.


	4. Truth-or-Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrissy goes to Harper’s apartment and meets her friends. And her cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of 20-year-olds playing truth or dare.
> 
> Trigger warning:  
> \- alcohol mention at the end

I sit up in my bed, awoken from a dream. I sigh. This has become commonplace after all this time. But… they still scare me. They consist of seemingly random images. But somehow, they show up in real life. The recent three are an apartment, a glowing blue orb, and a coffee shop. But that could literally mean anything. After the three images happen, they change to different three. All of it began with a street sign at the crossroads of Novak drive and Watson street. That’s where Valkyrie was first spotted, disarming an armed robber at a diner. But that was two years ago. 

I’m scared of what will happen once they stop coming. What might they mean?

I shake my head, clearing it. I should just get up. I’m meeting Harper for breakfast this morning. I look at my clock.  _ 10:30. _

__ “Oh sh–!” I jump out of bed and run to my closet. I throw on a flannel shirt and jean shorts. I don’t have time to take a shower, so I just spray dry shampoo in my hair and pull on my maroonish-pink beanie. I only spend two minutes on my makeup; foundation and simple eyeliner. I hope it looks okay. I grab my house keys and clip them to the lanyard on my belt loop. I lock my door behind me and jog down the stairs of my apartment. I close the kickstand on my bike and pedal down the alley I hid it in. My neighborhood isn’t the best in town. It’s very rundown. And if you accidentally go down the wrong ally, you’ll get mugged. It has improved since I started helping out around here, but it still needs work.

I’ve been helping the kids here for a few years. They found out I had powers, so I had to help them so they wouldn’t tell anyone. Since I can control chaotic matter, I gave them food and money. Clothes and toys. One of the kids asked me for a  _ phone  _ once. I said no. She threatened to tell the police about my powers. I finally relented and gave her the phone. Joke’s on her though; she doesn’t have a charger for it.

“Good morning, Mr. Finch!” I call to dark-skinned old man sitting on a porch swing. He waves and gives me a wrinkled smile. Two of his teeth are missing. His grandkids run around in the front yard, playing jump rope and tag. My siblings and I have never been like that. My sister is three years older than me, and by the time I was old enough to play outside without an adult, she thought she was “too old for that.” My little brother hated girls and was always off with his little friends _.  _ I do love my siblings, but as children, we were  _ definitely _ not close. 

As I ride down the sidewalk, my beanie starts to slip off my head. I grab it before it falls and shove it into my bike basket. I pull into the parking lot of the local coffee shop. I’ve never been here before, but Harper said she wanted to go here. I lock my bike to the bike rack and walk into the shop. A sudden throb in my forehead catches me off guard. This coffee shop looks exactly like the one in my dream. I can’t imagine why it’s important, but it was there. I shake my head and look around. There’s a girl waving. I squint, realizing I forgot my glasses and my contacts. It think the girl is Harper.

“Chrissy!” She calls. I grin and go over to her. “Good morning!” She greets me.

“Sorry I’m late.” I apologize.

She waves it off, “don’t worry about it, I just got here myself.” 

A waitress comes by, “good morning ladies, what can I get you?” 

Harper looks down at the menu, “The Tuesday special, side of bacon, and coffee please?” 

“And for you?” The girl asks me. 

“Scrambled eggs and bacon.” I say.

“I’ll have those for you shortly.” She smiles, then leaves. 

Harper turns to me, “Here, uh, I forgot to give this back to you last night.” She lifts up the black jacket and hands it to me. I thank her and smile, setting the jacket down in the booth next to me. “But anyway, tell me more about yourself.”

I tilt me head, “what do you want to know?” 

Her eyes catch the morning light, making them sparkle. I feel my face heat up. She’s really pretty when she’s excited. “Everything.” She says, her smile spreading to her bright blue eyes. “Do you have siblings? You mentioned a sister yesterday.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. An older sister and a younger brother.” I shrug.

“What are their names?” She asks.

“Maya and James. I haven’t seen them in a long time…” I say. “Do  _ you _ have siblings?”

She nods, “two little brothers and a baby sister. They’re adorable, but  _ really _ annoying.”

“Ah. Like ninjas: silent yet deadly.” I pretend to use my beanie as a ninja mask. Harper laughs. It’s that kind of contagious laugh that you can’t help but smile at. 

When she opens her eyes again, she inspects my face, then tilts her head, “Well then, Chrissy, is that a red face I see?” She has the same flare and arched eyebrow that Valkyrie gets whenever she teases me. 

I lift my hand to my cheek. I hadn’t noticed the heat in it until she said that. I raise an eyebrow at her and let my hand drop. “No.” I lie.

She laughs softly, “if you say so. But anyway, my siblings are anything but silent. If you ever get to meet them, you’ll see what I mean. Oh- hey, our food.” The waitress sets Harper’s food down first, then mine. 

I thank her and dig in. 

_ ***** _

I walk next to my bike as Harper pushes it along the sidewalk. I tried to convince her to let me do it, but she wouldn’t let me. She’s courteous (and stubborn) that way. We stop at a four-way stop packed with cars. I hide my hands behind my back and make the stop lights change faster. The cross-walk sign will only be illuminated for thirty seconds, so Harper and I run across the street. 

A while of walking later, Harper turns her head to me with a small smile on her lips. “The city is really nice when it’s not zooming past in a car.” 

I hadn’t even been paying attention. But now that I look around, I see what she means. We are right next to the park, which is lined with cherry trees. In the spring, their petals fall as if they were in a freaking anime. The sky is pale blue with few clouds today. I turn back to her. “Yeah.” I tilt my head, “I wish I had the eyes of an artist.”

“It’s not hard. You just have to observe the small things you see in front of you. If you blink, you’ll miss them.” She explains.

For some reason, that sticks with me. That seems like a really good philosophy to have: taking life one day at a time and not missing the things in front of you. The more time I spend with Harper, the more life is making sense. Twenty-two years of life, and I’m finally getting what I should do with it.

We finally make it to her apartment building, and I lock my bike to the rack outside. Her keys jingle as she searches for the one that opens her door. She finds it and turns it in the lock. “Sorry if it’s a mess…” she says, pushing the door open. 

Another pang of pain hits me, but I suppress it, blinking quickly. This is another one of the images: the apartment. But I can inspect it further now.

The first thing I see is a soft, little ball, rolled up in the middle of the floor. It rolls around as it unfolds, before padding up to me on tiny paws. I crouch down to the little kitten’s level, putting my hand out to it. It readily nuzzles my hand, and soft purring rumbles out from beneath even softer fur.

“That’s Olivia.” Harper tells me. “I think she likes you.” She smiles warmly at me.

“Hi there, Olivia.” I say as I pet her, “I’m Chrissy.” I’ve already accepted the nickname that Harper gave me. It’s sweet that she even came up with one in the first place. 

Harper gives me a lopsided grin, “I take it you like the name?”

“Definitely.” I smile up at her.

Harper looks at an empty food bowl on the floor, then goes to go get some cat food for Olivia. 

I glance around Harper’s apartment. It’s mostly neat, but with a few random items crowded on countertops and the table. There is a Disney poster pinned up next to the fridge. The walls in the kitchen are sky blue, then the main room walls are light gray. There’s a Pansexual flag hanging above the sofa. I smile. My eyes are drawn to the far wall, the furniture was pushed away, and a spattering of paint cans sit beneath it on a tarp, but the wall lies untouched.

Harper comes back in to see me standing in front of that wall. 

“Is this it?” I ask.

Harper nods. “Mhm. But, I want you to see that sunset tonight before we start painting. I’ll have to take a picture of it, but I want you to see it in person. For now though,” she opens the door, “we can finish painting the wall white.”

“It’s already gray, what’s the point?” I ask.

She sighs, “I bought white paint because I thought I needed it. But I bought too much, so I’m just trying to get rid of it at this point.”

“Fair enough.” I grin, “but, you know, you could paint some clouds on your kitchen walls, instead. They are the right shade of blue, after all.” 

She smiles thoughtfully, “Yeah, that’d be cool, actually.”

I set my backpack and jacket on the sofa. “So, what should we do while we wait for the sunset,” I check my watch, “it’s only noon.”

“Hm…” Harper glances at the calendar on her wall, “I think my friends are available today. Maybe I could introduce them to you?”

I nod, “As long as I’m not intruding.” 

“Of course you’re not!” She grins, “I’ll get everything ready here, maybe you could get some snacks at the store?” 

“Sure.” I bid her goodbye for now and leave for the store.

Around thirty minutes later, I knock on Harper’s apartment door. She greets me with a bright smile and takes a few of the grocery bags I’m holding. I set the other bags on the counter where she put hers. I wring my hands and nervously glance around the corner, knowing her friends are here. They are all in the main room, talking and laughing together.

The first one I see is a tall woman, perched on the arm of the powder blue sofa. She has silky brown hair that’s dyed dark blue at the ends. Her skin is pale and she has freckles splashed across her nose. She looks kind of like my sister, but I know it isn’t her. Maya doesn’t have blue eyes. And besides, she moved to San Francisco two years ago; haven’t seen her since.

The next is a boy in a button-up white shirt with its sleeves rolled up and a tie. But that’s where the nerdiness ends. His raven black hair is soft-looking and curly, and it spills over the left side of his head. He runs a hand through it as he laughs, showing off shining green eyes and a bright smile. Everyone is listening intently to a story he’s telling. 

Next to him is a taller boy with sandy brown hair and a round face. He looks completely enraptured in the other boy’s story. His smile spreads to his amber eyes as the storyteller laughs. 

I think the last person is non-binary. I mean, they are wearing a bracelet with the colors of the flag. I suppose I can ask later. They’re sitting in a puffy chair next to the sofa, their feet up on the coffee table.

I walk in with my hands clasped together. “H-hello,” I try for a smile. All of them go silent when they see me. 

“Who are you?” The storyteller asks. 

“Chrissy Chandler.” I answer, my voice quiet.

The woman and the storyteller look at each other; they look annoyed and unimpressed. I feel my face heat up. Harper comes to my rescue, resting her hands on my shoulders. 

“Guys, show a little kindness to Chrissy, here. No need to be judgmental.” She smiles. She points to each person individually, first to the storyteller, “That’s Simon,” she tells me that the woman is Opal, the guy is Alex, and the fourth person is Max. I was right about them being non-binary.

I nod to them in greeting, “Nice to meet you.” 

Max hops up from their seat and shakes my hand excitedly. “Nice to meet you too, Chrissy!” They giggle. Their voice is just slightly more feminine; a higher pitch than a man would have, but lower than female. Fascinating.

Opal raises an eyebrow at me, “Are you from around here?”

I nod, “I’ve lived here since I was little.”

Simon tilts his head, “Did you go to the college downtown?” 

“Yes.” I feel like I have seen him before. Maybe I have. 

“Wait a second. I think I know you…” Alex muses. He examines my face, and the way he’s looking is making me panic. He knows. He has to know. Why would he be looking at me like this unless he knows?

“Is your name short for Christina?” Alex asks. I nod, hearing every heartbeat in my chest. “We had English together in college!” He grins. I smile back nervously. Alex has a stereotypical gay guy voice, and that little fact somehow comforts me, making my nerves go away.

I love Harper’s friends already. 

“So!” Harper smiles, taking a seat on her floor. I sit next to her, and her other friends follow suite, except Simon. He stays up on the couch with his legs crossed and arms folded. I don’t pay much attention to it though, because Olivia waddles over to me and crawls onto my lap, meowing happily and nudging my hand. 

Harper giggles, “How about a good ol’ game of truth-or-dare for you guys to get to know Chrissy, and vice versa?” 

Opal grins, “Oh! I’ll go first!” She looks at Alex, “Al, truth or dare?”

“Really? Ugh, fine, I knew this was coming. I’ll go with truth because I refuse to give you the satisfaction.” He crosses his arms.

“Coward, but alright. Is it true that you had three boyfriends in high school?” Opal asks, grinning.

Alex rolls his eyes, “ _ tch _ , as if; it was eight!” He smirks as if he has bested her, which makes me laugh a bit. He smiles at me, “Chrissy, truth or dare?”

I tilt my head, considering my options. I don’t know these people well enough to trust them with a dare, but do I want to get personal? I glance at Harper.

She gives me this cute little face that says,  _ you can do it! _

I want to make her proud for some reason. I want to be accepted into this group of friends. I look back at Alex.

“Truth.”

“What is your sexuality?” He asks.

Opal coughs, masking the word  _ Lame! _

“Lesbian. Specifically lipstick.” I say. Alex gives me a high-five. It echoes in the small apartment. 

“What the hell do you mean by lipstick?” Simon looks extremely confused. The rest of us laugh. 

“Feminine, is what she means, Simon.” Harper answers, “Butch would be masculine.” She turns to me, “you’ll have to excuse him; he’s not very educated in the Pride community.” 

“Hey! I’m educated!” Simon whines, losing his cool posture to clenched fists and tense shoulders.

Max tilts their head, “Yeah, but not in Pride stuff.” Simon grumbles angrily, making everyone else laugh.

But I’m just so distracted by that subtle encouraging glance Harper gave me, that the jokes everyone is making aren’t going through. Her nose had crinkled up, and it had spread to her eyes. And oh… her  _ eyes _ . They’re like, the complete opposite of Valkyrie’s; the hero’s are gold, but Harper’s are bright blue.  _ So  _ many different shades, too. It starts with royal blue in the center, then fades into an icy blue around the edges. It includes everything in between as well. Just… _ perfect. _

“Your turn, Chrissy.” Opal says.

“Okay um…” my eyes flick to Harper, “Harper, truth or dare?” I ask.

“I’m gonna be the first person to pick dare.” She smiles brightly. 

“Alright um…” I bite my lip, trying to think of something. “I dare you to.. um.. do chubby bunny with Oreos.”

Alex and Max laugh. “That is a mood,” Alex says, cracking up more.

“That’s what I do best: cause havoc!” I laugh. I see Simon roll his eyes. 

I have a feeling that the storyteller and I aren’t going to get along very well.

Our game ended at least an hour ago, and we are all that loopy kind of tired. Max is hanging upside-down with their legs hooked over the top of a chair. Alex busted out the wine a while ago and is now holding a half-filled wine glass. He’s also very drunk. And most definitely flirting with Simon. Simon might just be a bit drunk enough to be flirting back, but he seems too straight for that.

Opal is sprawled out on the circular rug, tipsily telling a story about her little sister and brother. It sounds a bit familiar, for some reason. But eh, a lot of people have similar childhood experiences. Harper is nodding along. She looks tired, and she hasn’t touched her glass of wine. To be fair, I haven’t either. I give her a raised eyebrow when she looks my way. She gives me a small smile.

“Hey guys?” Harper announces, “since you guys have work and college tomorrow, shouldn’t you all be headed home?” Everyone agrees, and they start heading out.

Max tells me that they look forward to seeing me in the future. Alex gives me a hug. Opal seems to have warmed up to me by now, or it’s the alcohol, and she smiles at me as she leaves. I tilt my head and smile as I watch my new acquaintances go. Simon brushes past me, slamming my shoulder into the doorframe with his arm. I wince and rub my shoulder blade. That was really uncalled for, but he’s just some lowlife nineteen-year-old who can’t do anything to hurt me.

“I don’t think Simon likes me much.” I look up at Harper and gesture to my shoulder. 

“Don’t mind him. He’s not quick to like people. It took me  _ weeks _ to get him to open up to my other friends,” Harper smiles at me and tilts her head, “aside from that, are you ready to see that sunset?”


	5. Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper shows Chrissy her favorite place to take a picture.

She leads me to the steps of the apartment building. We climb the spiraling staircase and eventually make it to the ladder. Harper goes up first and tells me to watch me step because there are rungs missing. I follow her, my shoes making the rust crumble to the floor.

Harper grabs my hand, helping me up the rest of the ladder to the roof. I smile at her in gratitude. She and I walk to the edge of the roof and sit down. Harper grins giddily, “Get ready.” She adjusts her camera and holds it up to her eye. As the sun lands on the horizon, the orange and pink sky fades to gold. I hear Harper’s camera clicking, but I am too mesmerized to care. 

“Woah….” a whisper is all I can manage. The sky is a cascade of brilliant golds and yellows, the clouds are a lighter, and are like faded, white highlights. The sun gleams orange in the middle of it all, glowing and warm. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Plus, the skyscrapers and buildings make it even more surreal. I’m beginning to realize that this exact scene is the one captured in Valkyrie’s eyes. Maybe she did that on purpose.

The golden effect fades back to the now seemingly dull colors from before; it’s too short of a time. I look at her with wonder in my eyes. 

She laughs. “That’s pretty cool, huh?”

“ _ Pretty cool?  _ It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve probably ever seen!” I grin. 

“I’m glad you think so.” Harper fiddles with the strap on her camera then looks down at it. 

“So you come up here every day?” I look down to the street, seven stories below us. 

“Mhm.” She smiles brightly, her face seeming to glow with it, “But now that the sunset is fresh in your brain, let’s go paint it!” 

“Didn’t you say you were going to paint the wall white first?” I ask, tilting my head. 

“I was, but I’ve given up on that. I just wanna get all the paint cans and supplies out of my main room.” A laugh escapes her.

“Ah, got it.” I stand up and help her up with me. She stumbles a little bit on the step down, but I catch her. She looks up at me, right in my eyes. I feel my face get hot, so I help her stand up the rest of the way and let go of her. I tuck my hair behind my ear and smile a bit at her. She has a little smile on her face too.

“Let’s go in. The um, the house. Er- apartment.” Harper gestures to the door, fumbling with her camera in her hands.

I nod and open the door for her. I step onto the platform and go down the ladder. I hear Harper close the door, and then there’s a heavy thump behind me. I spin around quickly and see Harper brushing off her shorts.

I look up at the height then back at her. “Did you jump from that?” 

“Um… well, y-yeah,” she glances up at the platform.

“How did you not break your ankle; it’s at least fifteen feet…” I tilt my head. 

“I uh… I’ll explain inside my apartment.” She grabs my hand and leads me to the elevator. When it doesn’t arrive right away, she sighs in exasperation and drags me toward the door to the stairs. We get to her apartment and she opens the door, ushering me inside and closing it behind her.

“Harper, what is going on?” I ask as she turns the lock.

“I wasn’t going to tell you yet, but it’s kind of unavoidable now. I also trust you, more than I probably should for someone I hardly know. But you just… you seem like the type of person who will understand. So, no one knows this about me, and you cannot tell  _ anyone _ . Got it?” She asks.

“Sure, but what  _ is _ it..?”

She sighs, “I’m… Valkyrie. The superhero.” 

_ I was right.  _ It’s her. 

But I need to pretend to be surprised, “really?! That’s so cool!” I smile at her, “I promise not to treat you any differently now that I know. You’re a friend; not a deity.” 

Her face immediately becomes calmer with this, “I knew you’d get it. That’s why I don’t tell people. They treat me a god who can do no wrong. That’s what Simon did when he found out. It’s like he can read minds or something! But literally, I’m just a normal, awkward person like anyone else, but I just so happened to be born with superpowers. I’m nothing special.”

I laugh softly, “That’s not true. You’re very special, and it’s not because of your powers.” I rest my hand on top of hers, “You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and that’s rare nowadays. You literally saved my life yesterday. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would’ve happened.” That isn’t entirely true. Of course those men would’ve tried something, but I have powers and could have escaped. 

Then again, with my anxiety, I would’ve panicked if they  _ had  _ gotten as far as dragging me out of that bar. There’s only so much I can do with these powers. So, technically, Harper  _ did _ save me. I owe her big time. 

She smiles, “Thank you. I needed that.” She scratches the back of her neck. “So, um, c’mon, we should get to work.”

I nod, “Okay. Where do we start?”


	6. Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrissy believes that Harper figured out who she is, so she creates a clone to change her mind. But things go wrong. They go so so wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- fighting  
> \- blood mention (non-graphic)

__ I think Harper may have figured out that I’m Divergence; I wasn’t being very careful a couple of nights ago and I used my powers clear a part of the wall I’d messed up on. To be fair though, she was painting further down and wasn’t paying attention. She asked me how I was doing, and was surprised to see that the section was blank. She shrugged it off, but I thought she looked a bit skeptical.

I’m an idiot.

However, I did come up with a plan. I can make an illusion that looks like Divergence and she can “capture” me. Harper will have no idea. I know I should just tell her that I’m Divergence, but I know she’d never talk to me again. But this plan will throw the theory off!

I shake my head. “Okay. I can do this.” I know the illusion will take a lot out of me, but I don’t care. It might be interesting to see if Harper will go after  _ Divergence _ or save  _ Chrissy _ . We’ll see.

In fancy cursive handwriting, I write a note addressed to the hero.

_ Dear Valkyrie, _

_ If you want your precious Chrissy back,  _ _ then you’d better act fast. You have  _ _ one hour before I change my mind.  _ _ You know where to find me,  _ _ Miss Val. _

_ ~Divergence _

I fold the note in half and slide it into an envelope. I close it and nod, taking a few deep breaths. “That should do it.” I slide the letter into my pocket, go up to the roof of the apartment, and take off, flying to the warehouse that serves as my lair. She knows where it is, and she’ll find me.

I stand in the middle of the room and think up an illusion of myself. I open my eyes, and there she is, looking just like me and awaiting my instruction. I shake my head; this won’t do. I make her hair black instead of brown, and change her eye color from brown to silvery-gray. That’s how I usually look as Divergence. I give her my villain costume and smile.

“Alright, now you look the part, but let’s if you can act the part.” Being a villain or superhero with a secret identity can be very fun, especially as a villain. If you have shapeshifting powers, then keeping your identity a secret is much easier. I mean, forget about haircuts and buying clothes; you can have anything you want, whenever you want.

The illusion is all set up now. She and I don’t look at all similar and she’ll be able to make it seem real. Hopefully I remember how to act as a captive, though; that’s the hard part. I don’t have to tell her what to do, that’s the good news. She’ll start working as soon as I’m at Harper’s house. I put the letter into her pocket and leave. 

When I get to the apartment, I see Harper walking down the street. She’s close enough that Divergence will be able to get me with her seeing, but she’ll have to be fas–

I see Divergence floating outside the window and I smile. She kicks the window, sending shards all over the floor. I lose my smile immediately, “Um… you weren’t supposed to– hey!” I shout as she grabs my arm.

“You’re coming with me, Princess!” She sets the letter on the windowsill.

“Princess? Wha–ahh!!” She jumps out the window and starts flying. I latch onto her arms, afraid to fall.

I try to use my powers, but they don’t work, so flying away is not an option. I think the reason is that I’m using my powers to keep the illusion up. Although… I think this illusion has taken on a mind of her own. I didn’t tell her to do any of the things she’s done so far, except take me.

The clone throws me into the room, making a new rip in my jeans and a bruise under it. She binds my hands and feet, tying me to a chair along with that. 

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think–  _ ow _ !” She punches me square in the nose. I feel blood start to drip out and taste copper in my mouth. “Dude!” I shout, spitting blood onto the floor.

She laughs, conjuring a knife. My eyes widen. She draws nearer, slashing her blade across my chest, cutting through my shirt and breaking through the skin beneath. I feel tears in my eyes from the pain. This was a mistake. This was a  _ huge  _ mistake. I don’t really know my own power; now look what I’ve done! She traces the knife down my jawline. 

“You have quite a pretty face… what a shame that it won’t last!” She laughs maniacally. I see her eyes for the first time as she closes in. Wait… I made them gray. These are _green…_

_ What the hell? _

She starts twisting the knife into the soft skin of my cheek when I hear a voice shout:

“Hey!” 

Divergence turns, removing the knife from my face. I silently sigh in relief. “Oh, hello, Valkyrie! Your princess and I were just getting to know each other.” I don’t understand why she’s calling me princess… especially  _ Harper’s _ princess _. _ I’m not her girlfriend, or anything of the sort.

“You get away from her!” Harper- er-  _ Valkyrie _ growls. Her expression is dark and looks  _ angry _ . Like she’s-about-to-cut-a-bitch-up angry. I would say that’s good, but I know that if she injures the illusion, it’ll hurt me too. 

“How cute, you think you can save her  _ and  _ stop me?” She laughs. I never realized how cocky I sound until now. It’s pretty lame, actually.

The clone floats up and snaps her fingers, making the floor open up to reveal a lake of lava. I’m on a platform in the center that’s slowly lowering into the pit. I scream and start to panic as the lava bubbles and explodes in small bursts upwards. 

“Choose, Valkyrie! Either save her from certain death, or stop me from destroying the city and everything in it!” Divergence flies up to the roof, her laugh echoing in the large room. 

This was  _ not  _ the plan. Something has definitely gone haywire. I would never act this way; I don’t capture people for leverage, and I certainly do  _ not  _ destroy entire cities. Did another villain come here and do something to my illusion? There  _ are _ a few other villains and heroes in this city, so it’s not too inconceivable… 

I blink a few times, remembering the situation at hand. I’m getting close to the lava below. I never put this in here; I made plans, but I never carried them out. Did I accidentally give my powers to the clone when I created her?

Valkyrie flies down and lands on the platform. She teeters on the edge with her wedge-heeled boots. “Are you okay? Chrissy, I’m so sorry this happened…” she says as she starts untying me. My heartbeat flutters in my chest as Harper’s fingers linger on my hand. I’m not sure why that feeling is the way it is, but there is something about her that… no, I should think about this later. Now’s not the time.

“It’s not your fault,” I say.  _ It’s mine _

“I just don’t understand why she did this to you! Or how she found my apartment.” She starts untying my feet, “oh, and thank you for watching Olivia while I was out.” She smiles at me. I tell her it was no trouble. She finally gets the ropes off of me, just as the platform is inches from the lava. She picks me up, hooking one arm under my knees and the other under my shoulder blades. I hold onto her tightly as we fly out of there. 

She carries me up to the roof and sets me down by the door. “Stay here.” She whispers. Her hand slips away from my shoulder, but I reach out and grab it. 

“Be safe, Harper.” I order. She laughs a few notes and squeezes my hand, assuring me that she’ll be fine. “You’d better be.” Our fingers slip away from each other’s, and she flies in Divergence’s direction. I hide around the corner, trying to spark up the usual purple and green glow of my powers, but nothing comes up. 

“That’s odd…” I say softly. I sigh and shake my hands out, pressing my palms to my eye sockets. I peak around the corner to see Valkyrie and Divergence fighting in mid-air, Valkyrie with her light axe, and Divergence with my pink and green crystalline sword. I don’t know how the illusion got a hold of that. I see Valkyrie hit Divergence on the head with the end of her axe handle. Divergence falls onto the roof of the lair, unconscious. 

Surprisingly, this doesn’t hurt me. I don’t understand… it hurt me when I used the illusion last time. I’ve fought plenty of heroes; used this illusion with all of them to learn their fighting styles in a third person perspective, but this has never  _ ever  _ happened. It always hurts me if she gets hurt, and the illusion has never had a mind of her own. 

I shake my head; this is insane. 

Valkyrie flies down and picks me up again. “She won’t stay down for long.” She explains. 

“You’re probably right.” I nod, hands shaking slightly.

We fly back to her apartment, with me holding onto her shoulders. I stay silent during the entire flight back, staring off into the cityscape as I rack my brain for answers. 

“You alright?” Harper asks, her voice soft and gentle. It’s like she doesn’t want to stress me out, but I deserve to hurt.

“Yeah. I’m fine, just… just thinking.” I rub my eyes, feeling the fatigue settle in, “I’m also really tired.”

“Well, then, good thing we’re home.” She sets me down away from the broken glass, then proceeds to fix the window with her powers. “I can basically use telekinesis with anything that is touching natural light.” She explains to my shocked face; I didn’t know that she could do stuff like this. Piece by piece, the glass fills in the window frame, like a video on rewind, until it’s back to the way it was before.

“Wow. That’s actually really helpful..” I tilt my head then look up at her. “Thank you” I say, “you saved my life yet again.” 

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Her super suit changes to the outfit she was wearing when she left this morning. She looks me up and down, examining the bleeding cuts and bruises on me. “Let’s get you cleaned up,  _ Princess. _ ” She grins.

I roll my eyes. “I don’t get why she called me that.”

“Well, I like it, and I’m gonna use it now.” She puts her hands on her hips and sticks her tongue out.

“Fine,  _ Valkyrie. _ ” I poke her stomach, making her giggle. “Are you ticklish...?” I ask, smirking.

“Y-yes…” she whispers, her cheeks turning pinkish.

“Don’t worry, Harp. I won’t do it.” My eyes flick to the muscles on her arms, then back to her eyes, “I’m pretty sure you could break me in half if I tried…”

“Aww, I would never!” Harper sticks out her pinkie for a pinkie-promise. I smile and take it. She puts her thumb up. “Stamp it.” 

“Stamp it…?” 

“Yeah! It’s not a true promise if it isn’t stamped.” She explains. I shrug and press our thumbs together. 

We stand there for a long moment, practically holding hands. But something about her eyes just keeps me there. Her expression is wistful and kind. I’ve only started noticing her look at me like this recently, but she’s… she’s just amazing.

Harper and I have only known each other for two weeks now, but I believe I’ve found a real friend who won’t judge me on what I’ve done in the past. I think I might just give up on villainy altogether. 

For her.


	7. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper gives Chrissy a present, a thunderstorm happens, and Chrissy has a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- Nightmare  
> \- blood mention  
> \- death mention

It’s been two weeks since the illusion’s attack; four weeks since Harper and I met. I woke up the morning after with limited powers and I’ve gained strength with them since then. At least they aren’t gone entirely. I’m sure that I just wore myself out with the illusion.

Harper and I have been working tirelessly on the sunset painting. Her friends have been coming over to check up on us and make sure we’re eating. Somehow, we’ve gone through seven buckets of paint, but we’re still not done. I told Harper that we needed to get bigger cans, but she said that she doesn’t want to have any leftover paint. I just shook my head and laughed. 

Each night in the past month, we’ve gone up to watch the sunset before getting back to work. That’s where we are right now, watching the clouds move. Today we went up a bit earlier than we usually do. 

“Have you taken a picture of it every night we’ve been up here?” I ask, noticing the camera in Harper’s lap. 

“Yes, actually,” She adjusts the settings on the lense, “I thought it might be an interesting collage to put up in my room. I’ll have a picture from each day we’ve worked on the painting, and maybe a couple more.”

“That sounds pretty cool. Are you just gonna use tape or like a picture board you can pin them up with?” 

“I haven’t gotten that far.” She laughs softly. 

“Sounds like something I’d do.” I smirk.

“Yeah. You’re not very good at planning.” She laughs more as I shout in protest and punch her shoulder. 

“In fairness, however, you are correct. My plans are  _ not  _ very well thought out.” I sigh and shake my head. “But, um, anyway- what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Oh right!” Harper fishes something out of her pocket. “I have a present for you, but you have to close your eyes.”

“Okay…?” I close my eyes with a small, curious smile playing across my lips. I hear her camera click a few times. “Reaction images?” I laugh a little bit.

“Yes; you can open them now!” She tells me, and I oblige. Her hand is open with it’s palm up, and in it is a necklace. A glowing blue orb with a silver cord threaded through a loop in the top. I’ve seen her wear this before, but only with her super suit. “Last time I wore it, you couldn’t stop staring at it. I thought you might want to have it.” She says.

A little throb in the back of my head, meaning this is the third image. Nightmare tonight, is also what that means. Why’d it have to be this one?

She moves my hair away from my neck and clips on the necklace. It hangs down to the center of my chest. I smile as my hair falls back into place. “Thank you, Harper.”

_ ***** _

I lay down on Harper’s couch, pulling the blanket up to my chest. She’s letting me stay the night so I don’t have to ride my bike home in the rain that’s coming. 

She flicks the main room light off, “g’night Chrissy.” She calls before disappearing into her bedroom.

“Night,” I whisper.

I’m almost asleep when I hear a boom of thunder and the pitter-patter of rain outside the window. I wrap Harper’s blanket around me and curl up in the corner of the L-shaped couch. 

Harper’s face pokes around the corner. “Does that scare you?” She asks. I nod. She comes over and sits next to me. “It’ll be okay, Chrissy. It’s just rain.” She gives me that charming little smile that always makes me feel better.

Lightning flashes outside, followed by more thunder. I throw the blanket over my head, hugging my knees. Harper laughs softly and gathers me in her arms. She pulls the blanket off of my head and looks into my eyes intently. “I won’t let the storm get you, Chrissy. I promise.” 

“Stamp it,” I whisper. She smiles and pinkie promises. Her other arm is still around me, but I don’t mind; she’s warm. I fiddle with the orb on my necklace. That makes me think about the incoming nightmare or dream. I sigh inwardly;  _ bring it on.  _

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Princess?” Harper asks softly, sounding tired. 

“Nothing, really. But you sound really tired, and I think you should head back to bed…” I tell her, my voice just as quiet as hers.

“No, I’m staying here to comfort you during the storm. I promised.” She yawns.

I nod, “alright.. but then promise me that if you aren’t comfortable, you’ll go sleep in your own bed?” I raise an eyebrow.

She nods, laughing softly. She closes her eyes and rests her head on top of mine. I feel my face flush, but then I smile slightly and lay my head on her shoulder. She pulls the blanket around my right shoulder and holds my left hand in her right. I feel our fingers intertwine. 

My eyes pop open in surprise. Does she…  _ like me?  _ Recently, I’ve noticed that I’ve been having feelings like that. Things like this set it off; just us, alone together. She and I have spent so much time together in the last month, and I keep finding myself in awe of her. 

I’ve started to notice all the little things Harper does. Her little acts of kindness to everyone, not just me. Her knowledge of random facts that she’ll just ramble on about when she’s bored. Her uncanny ability to quote every single Disney movie she’s ever seen (with  _ perfect  _ impressions).

Not only that, but I’ve noticed she’s fiercely protective of me.  _ Specifically _ me. Of course she’s protective of all her friends, but she seems to have put me on a higher level. Then, when she’s being Valkyrie, that is multiplied by, like, twenty. 

She is my best friend. 

I’ll think about this tomorrow, but for now, I let myself enjoy the thought, and slowly fall asleep to the rhythm of her heartbeat.

_ ***** _

_ “Hey! Get your hands off me!” I cry out as a man grabs my arm and pulls me into an alley. He throws me into a wall. I stagger back and put up my fists, but he just pushes me again, and I slam into the wall, landing on my knees in the center of the alley. _

_ “What do you think your doing?” I hear a voice say from above. The man looks up into the hate filled eyes of Valkyrie.  _

_ She jumps and touches down in the alley, her hood falling to her shoulders as she rises to her feet. The hero knocks the man out cold. She walks up to me, the hate in her eyes replaced by worry. “Are you alright?”  _

_ “Of course, now that you're here,” Then we are  _ kissing _. Kissing!! I weave my fingers through Harper’s strawberry blonde hair. She makes a surprised noise into my mouth and presses me against the wall, the cold stone digging into my back. The hero cups my face in her hands and pulls back, her eyes wild. She takes off and flies away, leaving me panting in the alley with a giant grin on my face. _

_ But the dream changes to a different scene. I find myself holding onto Harper as she is slipping to the ground seven stories below. Wind and rain swirls around us. _

_ “Chrissy, let go, I’ll be fine.” Harper shouts over the wind. I grasp tightly onto her, but it’s difficult; my hands are slick with blood.  _

_ “No! You’re injured and weak, what if your powers don’t work in time!” I brace myself against the side of the building. I only have enough strength to keep my hold on Harper, not enough to pull her to safety.  _

_ “It will work, trust me!” She insists. My grip is getting weaker, and Harper lets go with one hand, dangling from the side of the ten story building.  _

_ “Trust me.” She whispers. She forces me to let go. _

_ “No!” I reach out to Harper’s falling figure as it rapidly approaches the pavement.  _

_ Harper hits the ground, and blood pools around her broken body. “Harper,” I whisper, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I rush down to the ground, running to Harper and cradling her in my arms.  _

_ “Harp.. come back to me,” I sob, burying my face in Harper’s hair, breathing in her gentle scent before it’s gone. She smells of green apple shampoo and coffee beans and blood. One thought keeps repeating itself in my head: _

_ I lost her. _


	8. I’m here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrissy moves into Harper’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These idiots– I love them.

I wake up with tears in my eyes. It’s morning and the rain has stopped, but I’m panicking; Harper isn’t on the couch next to me. I scramble for my phone, but end up falling off of the couch. 

“Chrissy?” Comes Harper’s confused voice. I look up at her with tears running down my cheeks. “Oh, Chrissy…” she kneels at my side and picks me up, setting me back down on the couch. “Tell me what happened.” She takes my hands in hers. 

“I-I had a nightmare,” I start, trying to regain my breath, “y-you died and there was  _ nothing _ I could do to save you.” I bury my face in her shirt sleeve. “I felt so utterly useless and just…”

“Hey, no, shh…” she whispers, stroking my hair, “You aren’t useless. Don’t say such things. I’m here. I’m alive, and I’m  _ here.  _ Don’t worry, Princess.” She squeezes my hand. 

I nod a few times as she wipes the tears away from my cheeks. She grabs the tissue box from the side table and dries the tears off my face. I’m not crying anymore, but I’m still shuddering. Harper wraps the blanket around me and helps me stand up. “Let’s get you some breakfast. I’m sure you’ll feel much better after a good meal!” She slings an arm across my shoulders and we walk into the kitchen together. 

“Do you have work today?” She asks.

“N-no… the drive-in is only open in spring and summer.” I say. I work at one of the only drive-in places left in the country. I’m the manager, actually. I still get paid in the off-season, though, which is nice.

“You work at a drive-in?” She asks, smiling excitedly. 

“Yeah. Maybe I’ll take you when it’s open.” I try for a small smile. 

“I would  _ love _ that! I’ve always wanted to go to one of those! But now–” she opens the fridge– “what would you like for breakfast? I made eggs and bacon earlier. I’ll make more if you want some.” 

I nod. Scrambled eggs and bacon are my favorite breakfast foods. And I think she’s picked up on that, since every time we go to that one breakfast place I get the same thing. 

She has me sit at the table and arranges the blanket around me so I can be comfy. “So, other than work on the painting, what do you wanna do today?” 

“Um…” I glance around the apartment, realizing that she still hasn’t seen mine. “Would you want to come see my apartment? It’s nothing special, but I just wondered–” 

“I thought you’d never ask!” She giggles as she pours the eggs into the pan. 

“I don’t live in the best part of town, though, just a warning. I don’t have the money to afford a better apartment.” I prop my head up on my arm and sigh. 

“Maybe you could move in here?” She tilts her head at me, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

I sit up, “wait, really?” 

“Of course!” She grins, “We can move all your stuff in here today, and get your landlord to let you out of the lease.” 

I stand up and run to her, wrapping her in a hug. Harper laughs and hugs me back. “Thank you.” I whisper. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“You’re welcome, Chris.” She runs her fingers through my hair. It’s soothing and makes me smile. “After breakfast, let’s head out.” 

“Okay.” I turn, but I then remember something, “I was about to go get ready, but I don’t have anything to change into,” I glance down at my clothes from yesterday- jeans and a t-shirt.

Harper holds up a finger and goes to her bedroom. She comes back with leggings and a big hoodie. “These might be a bit big for you, but hey, they’re clean clothes.” 

I thank her, laughing softly, and take the clothes. In the bathroom, I brush my hair with my fingers and change into Harper’s clothes. They smell like green apples and coffee. _Exactly_ like she did in my dream… I guess I must’ve subconsciously picked up on the smell.

I feel the soft fabric of her sweatshirt on my skin and it makes me smile. It was nice of her to give me these clothes.  _ She’s _ really nice. Not nice as in kind, more like… pretty- no, beautiful- no… oh my goodness.

_ I like her.  _

It hits me like a hurricane in my chest, my head spinning. I like her. I have a  _ crush  _ on Harper Reed. I blink a few times, trying to regain my composure. I’m going to have to tell her, aren’t I? 

I walk out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen, where Harper is putting my breakfast on a plate. I fiddle with the hem of the sweatshirt. It’s too big, like she said it would be, but I like big sweatshirts. It feels nice to wear something of hers; like I belong to her somehow. 

“H-how do I look?” I ask as my sleeves fall over my hands.

She turns in surprise. Her surprised expression melts to a giant smile. “You look adorable!” She sets my breakfast on the table and has me sit down, “Christina Chandler, I proudly present your breakfast.” She starts humming  _ Be Our Guest _ and I laugh.

_ ***** _

Harper appears in her super suit and picks me up.

“Why do you need to wear that?” I grin.

“Wouldn’t want a civilian seeing me, right?” She tilts her head, her own grin coming to her lips.

“Well no.” I clear my throat. “Um, l-lead on, Valkyrie!”

As we fly to my apartment, I can’t help but think of the good part of my dream last night, when we kissed.

It never happened, but I wonder how the idea even made its way into my subconscious before even I realized I like her. Harper and  _ me,  _ romantically involved? 

It’s not like it’s ever going to happen. She  _ so  _ wouldn’t go for someone like me. She deserves a lot better. Besides, the villain doesn’t get the girl in the end. I shake my head, burying the thought in my mind. 

“It’s down there.” I point below us to my apartment complex. She sets me down gently on the roof. “This way.” I open the roof’s door and climb down the stairs. Harper follows after me, now in her street clothes. I open my apartment door and glance at her. “Here it is. Ta-da,” I say with sarcastic jazz hands. She laughs. 

I glance around my apartment, realizing only now how messy it is- dirty dishes in the sink, empty pop cans on the counter, a laundry basket in the corner. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. 

“Woah. You’re place is a lot smaller than I imagined it..” Harper says, “but hey! That just means less stuff to move.” She creates some boxes out of the light coming through my window and starts packing up my stuff, taking special care of each and every item. “I’ll just be here packing, why don’t you go talk to your landlord?”

“He doesn’t live in the building.” I pick up my phone and dial his number. 

After a truly  _ rousing  _ conversation, he tells me that I can turn this month’s lease in by Friday and I’ll be fine. 

“Alright, now let’s get all this stuff out of here!” I go to my bedroom and start packing all my clothes and belongings into whatever bags I have. 

*****

A few hours later, we’re in Harper’s- and my- apartment, unpacking everything into where they fit best. Luckily, Harper has a spare bedroom, so we put everything in there. I see Harper standing by my bed, unpacking a box. I sneak up behind her and hug her. To which, she makes a surprised little squeak and turns around while I’m hugging her. 

“What’s this for, Princess?” She asks.

“Everything. And nothing.” I say softly. She laughs a few quiet notes and hugs me back. We stay there for a long moment, just holding each other.

I open my eyes to see the sky. “Hey, Harp? It’s almost sunset. Wanna go up and watch?” I ask.

“Of course!” She giggles, grabbing my hand and basically dragging me to the ladder. 

Harper and I sit on the edge like we have each night for weeks, just looking up at the sunset and waiting to see the golden sky. Despite it looking normal for now, I’m still fascinated by how brilliant the sky looks. I close my eyes for a second and take a deep breath, just living in this moment right here. When I open them again, I feel Harper’s eyes on me. I look at back at her.

“You know you’re going to miss it. I know how much you love it.” I say, my voice as quiet as a mouse.

“That doesn’t matter,” She answers, reaching out to brush my stray hair away from my eyes.

“Then…” I tilt my head, “what  _ does _ matter?”

She smiles slightly, “you.” She holds my face in her hands and fits her lips to mine. I’m surprised, but also kind of excited. She pulls away, revealing the golden sky for a split second before it turns back to normal. The kiss only lasted as long as that trick of the light, but it felt like it had lasted a million years. 

I look at her eyes; her pupils are dilated like crazy. It takes me a few seconds to breathe again. But when I find my breath again, I know what I need to do. I place my hand on the back of Harper’s head and pull her to me again. I don’t know how long we sat there, just kissing, but I know that when we stopped, we just started laughing. 

“C’mon,” she says, standing up and offering her hand to me, “I want to show you something.” 

I smile and take her hand, “lead the way, Harp.” 

She picks me up, looping one arm under my knees and around my shoulders, just as she has before. I wrap my arms around her neck and give her a smile. She takes off, flying high above the buildings. I hold on tightly, trying not to look down. I may be able to fly, but I’m afraid of falling. 

“Chrissy, look,” Harper says right into my ear, so I can hear her over the wind. I open my eyes to see the clouds below us, and the pink sky that’s almost purple. 

“Woah…” is all I can manage. This is  _ beautiful _ . We fly down to the clouds, and I feel my bare feet touch the odd, fluffy stuff. 

“Wanna go back?” Harper asks. I look up at her. Her eyes are soft, the same way they were when I first met her. When I met her, I had no idea that this is where I’d be in a month. No idea that I’d be happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

“Sure. But… can… can I kiss you again?” I ask, not realizing how small my voice must sound.

She doesn’t say a word. She just smiles and presses her lips to mine. When the kiss ends, we press our foreheads together, both of us giggling. “You know Chris… I really like you…” 

I don’t open my eyes, but I smile. “I like you too.” 


	9. Mi Familia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper’s family makes a surprise visit and Chrissy finishes the painting in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- homophobia  
> \- shitty parents

I wake up slowly and rub my eyes, blindly patting my hand around the nightstand until I find my glasses. I walk into the kitchen, wearing a holey pumpkin-spice colored sweater I stole from Harper. I sit down at the kitchen counter. 

Harper slides a plate of food in front of me, “Scrambled eggs and bacon, just how you like it.” I thank her and eat. When I put my dishes in the sink, Harper presses a kiss into my hair, causing me to smile.

“Good morning, Harp.” I say, finally finding my voice. “How’d you sleep?”

“Well. And you?” 

“Eh, it was alright.” I shrug, “I had a weird dream.” Looking down a skylight at flames. A female figure in an almost pitch black room. A male figure, consumed in falling rubble. These are the three newest images. 

“Oh? How so?” She tilts her head.

“Every night I have the same dream: three random images that seem to have no meaning. But I always end up seeing them in real life somehow.” I explain.

“Oh! Maybe you have untapped superpowers of seeing the future!” Harper giggles, her fingers creeping up to my shoulders.

“Pfft, as if.” I laugh. I do have powers, but not those. “It’s probably just a coincidence.”

Harper nods, “yeah, probably.” She kisses my temple. “Wanna go watch a movie?” She asks.

“Sure. Should we also work on the mural today?” I tilt my head. We still have a fourth of the wall to paint.

“Eh, I don’t see why not.” She smiles.

*****

“Harp, can you pass me the pallet?” I ask.

“Mhmm.” She hands me the pallet and turns back to her section. “I dunno, I think it needs more– hm?” She turns to where her phone is buzzing on the table. She sets her paint supplies down and goes to grab her phone, but hesitates. “It’s- it’s my mom.” 

“Well don’t leave her hanging!” I grin. Her eyes hold fear, however. “Not close with her?” 

“Not really…” she sighs, picking up the phone. She hits answer. “ _ Hola, Mama. _ ” 

Her tan face goes white, as if she’s seen a ghost, “ _ ¡¿Tú eres qúe?! Oh… b-buena, solo dame un momento por favor. _ ” She hangs up and starts hyperventilating. “ _ Mi _ \- my family is here, and they didn’t tell me in advance. The- the apartment is a mess and–” she glances at the pan flag above the couch. “I’m not out to them…” she whispers. 

“Hey,” I say, setting my paint down and holding her hands. “Don’t worry, Harp. It’ll be alright.” I gently take the flag down and put it in my bedroom. “Now, go let them in.”

Harper walks over to our front door. She takes a deep breath and opens it. She is about to say hi, but her mother screeches excitedly and hugs her. Or rather,  _ squishes  _ her. 

Two little boys run inside, playing tag. Actually, I think they’re just hitting each other. But as soon as they see me, they stop. They turn around, and one shouts “ _ Mooooom? _ ” I assume it’s the stranger danger thing everyone learns when they’re five. But these boys look at least eight and nine. 

“Cas! Michael! Get back here and watch your  _ hermana _ !” The two boys run back to their parents and take the hand of a little three-year-old girl, whom I can only guess is Anna, Harper’s “baby” sister. 

“U-um, Mama, this is my roommate Christina Chandler.” She says, gesturing to me.

“Since when did you have a roommate,  _ hija _ ?” Her mother asks. 

“Wednesday.”

“How long have you known this girl?”

“Three months.” 

“ _ THREE MONTHS?”  _ Her mother shouts.

Harper’s face goes red and I see her shutting down. 

“Excuse me, young lady, but your apartment is not even clean! You have mess all over the place!” Her mother looks like she’s about to burst. Harper looks like she’s about to cry, so I reach out to touch her arm. “Why are you wearing an apron covered in paint?!”

Harper tries to explain, but her mother cuts her off, “I don’t want to hear your excuses and disrespect!” She starts speaking in rapid-fire Spanish, and Harper’s eyes well up with tears. 

I catch a few things like  _ are you crazy?  _ And  _ she could be dangerous!  _ I took Spanish in high school and college, so I understand a few things, but she’s speaking too fast for me to catch it all. But I’ve had enough. No one comes into my home and hurts my Valkyrie.

“Pardon me,” I say, putting a hand on Harper’s shoulder and gently pulling her toward me, “but I don’t believe you’re treating Harper here properly. She doesn’t deserve this.” 

“How dare you–!”

“You can’t just waltz in here unannounced, and berade Harper like that. I have to kindly ask you to leave.” I say firmly.

Harper looks at her mother dead in the eyes, “I don’t care that you came here randomly, or that you insulted me and my home, but insulting my girlfriend..? That is where you’ve crossed the line. Now, Lucita, please go home.” 

“Girlfriend?” Harper’s father asks. His expression becomes dark. Harper’s eyes go wide when she realizes that that’s what she said. “We told you what would happen if you didn’t follow our rules. You are no longer apart of this family, Harper. We had better never see you again!” 

“Fine!” Harper shouts back, slamming the door in her parent’s faces. She turns to me, her tears actually falling now. 

“Oh, Harp… I’m so sorry.” I hug her, and she buries her face in my shoulder, letting sobs escape her. We sink to the floor and end up sitting in the middle of the kitchen. “Hush now, it’s going to be alright.”

“Is it though?” She whispers. Her broken voice almost makes  _ me _ cry.

“Yes,” I say after a minute. “I promise you that you’ll be okay. If they don’t love you for who you are, then they do not deserve to be in your life. You’re perfect and special just the way you are, and they do not get a say in how you live your life.” 

Harper gives me a small smile. “What the hell did I possibly do to deserve a girl like you?” 

I cup her cheek and smile. “You’re just lucky, I guess.” I kiss her gently, and she weaves a hand through my short hair and presses harder against my lips. When we finally break apart for air, I hear Harper laugh softly. I look up at her and tilt my head.

I press my face into her neck and kiss it lightly. She shivers against my body. “I promise you that I’ll be here for you.” I whisper, “I’ll  _ always _ be here to take care of you, my Valkyrie.” 

“Thank you, Chrissy. You have no idea how much that means to me.” She kisses my forehead. I stroke her cheek with my thumb.

“So… your parents?” I ask.

“Oh. Right. I guess I haven’t really talked about them, have I?” She asks. I shake my head. “Well, my mother is Latina, raised me to learn Spanish and English. My father is from Whales, in England. Where, actually, Simon is from. My parents have met Simon, and they were legit hoping I’d have a relationship with him.”

I laugh, “yeah, no chance of that happening with your gay ass.” 

She cracks a smile.

“C’mon, enough of this sad stuff! Let’s finish that painting.” I help her up and hold her hand as we walk into the main room. I look up at Harper and see the bags under her eyes. I glance out the window. “Actually, it’s almost sunset. Why don’t we watch it, then you head to bed. You’ve had a long day, love.” 

Harper nods and we head up to the roof. We don’t sit down, we just stand there with Harper’s arms wrapped around me, her head resting on top of my shoulder. 

*****

It’s 8am; I’ve been up all night, working on the painting. Harper walks into the main room, rubbing her eyes. She sees me and stops.

“Chrissy, what are you doing up?” She asks.

“Hm?” I turn around. I imagine that I have enormous bags under my eyes. 

“Have you been up all night?” She kneels next to me. I nod. “Chrissy…” she looks at the painting, and her eyes widen. 

“I-I finished it..” I stutter. I finished making the sunset, and at the bottom, I painted silhouettes of Harper and I, sitting hand-in-hand on the roof. 

She smiles, her eyes crinkling. “Chris… it’s beautiful…” 

“It’s missing one thing, though.” I say. 

“And what would that be?”

I hold up a square-shaped box with paint in it. “Our hand prints.” I press my hand to the white paint then push my hand to the wall in the bottom left corner. Boom, handprint. “Your turn.” Harper does all the things I did, and soon enough, our hand prints are there on the wall, and our fingers form a heart. We paint on our initials, then go wash our hands.

“ _ Now  _ it’s perfect.” Harper smiles, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close as we admire our mural. I feel her kiss my head, but I’m so tired and out of it that I just smile stupidly and lean into her. She looks down at me. “Somebody needs a nap.” 

“ _ NoI’mfine _ …” my words are slurred together. 

Harper laughs, “c’mon, babe.”


	10. Valkyrie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clone shows up and Simon is an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings:   
> \- fire  
> \- death

“Woah…” Max says. 

“I know, right!” Alex laughs.

“This turned out beautifully, you two. Well done.” Simon says, smiling at Harper. I know his words are empty, however. I know he doesn’t care about our painting. All he cares about is trying to please my girl.

“Thank you.” Harper says. “Oh, by the way, where’s Opal?”

“She couldn’t make it. Something with her family or… something. I don’t remember.” Alex shrugs.

At the word  _ family _ , Harper’s posture sinks. I rest a hand on her shoulder and give a look that says  _ it’s alright. _ She nods, and sits on the couch. I sit on the floor at her feet, and she immediately starts playing with my hair. I tilt my head back and smile. When I look back down, I see something out the window. “What’s… that?” I stand up and put my hand up to the glass.

Out of nowhere, the Divergence clone appears in front of me with a wicked grin. She blasts the window open, sending shards everywhere. I hear Harper shout  _ OH COME ON!  _ before Divergence grabs me and flies me away to the lair.

She shoves me down into a chair, to which, I sigh. She stands before me, her hands on her hips. “Oh please, darling.” I smirk, standing and making the ropes disappear. “Did you  _ really  _ think you’d win. I was prepared for you.” I snap again, and she evaporates into nothing. 

Harper will be coming any second, so I put my Divergence illusions over myself. I test my voice for a few lines so I don’t accidentally use my regular voice in front of Harper. I haven’t done this in four months, so I’m a little rusty.

Sure enough, the hero flies in through the door with an angry scowl on her face. Oddly, she’s still immensely beautiful when she’s angry. 

“Well, hello Miss Val.” I smile at her. I realize that the clone had never called her  _ Miss Val.  _ I hope she hasn’t suspected anything. “Welcome back.”

“What have you done with Chrissy?!” She growls. 

I smirk, “oh? Your  _ princess? _ ” I make my illusions disappear, except leave my eyes as gray. “Oh no, please save me Valkyrie!” I make my voice a few octaves higher than my actual one. I put the illusions back on, “ _ please.  _ She’s pathetic!” 

“How  _ dare _ you speak of her in that way!” Valkyrie shouts. 

I laugh a few notes, “I can do whatever I want, Miss Val.” I stroll up to her and smile right in her face. Along with my other illusions, I can alter my height. So I am level with her right now. I stare at her with a malicious, twisted grin. “So try anything you want, but it won’t work.” I bop her on the nose. 

Her expression darkens, and now I know that she got it from her father. She grabs me by the collar of my suit and lifts me off the floor. “Where is she?” 

“Why should I tell  _ you? _ ” I cross my arms. 

She slams me against the wall. “I’ll ask you again,” she holds her axe to my throat. “Where. Is. She.” She says through clenched teeth. 

“Alright! Alright! She’s on the roof!” I say, panicking. Valkyrie flies away, and I take a deep breath. “Okay…” I let the illusions disappear, and I’m back to myself. I snap, making ropes tie me up, and I sit down in a supply closet. I clear my throat. “ _ HELP!”  _ I shout. 

Shortly, Harper opens the door. “Chrissy!” She hugs me tightly. 

“H-Harp, I’m glad you’re here, but,” I cough, “I need to breathe.” 

Harper pulls back. “I’m sorry! Are you alright?” She unties the ropes around me. 

“Yeah. Thank you for saving me  _ again.”  _ I laugh softly.

“You’re welcome, but I need to go find Divergence. That little  _ bitch _ told me that you were on the roof.” She grumbles. She turns to go, but I grab her wrist. 

“Harper, please… I just wanna go home.” I ask with pleading eyes. 

She sighs, “alright,” she smiles slightly and wraps me in another hug. 

*****

When we arrive back home, everyone’s waiting where we left them. Max and Alex rush to hug me. 

“Are you okay? Did she hurt you?!” Max asks.

“No, I’m alright.” I say. “But Harper gave her a real ass-whooping, I’m sure.” I smile at my girlfriend.

Harper shakes her head. “The scaredy-cat disappeared as soon as I went to find Chrissy. Unless…” she stares right at my eyes. I decide to have some fun with this. I let my eyes flash purple and green, how they usually do when I’m using my powers. 

“That’s not Chrissy!” Harper shouts, blocking her friends with her arm. 

I laugh maniacally and put my illusions on. “ _ Lovely  _ deduction, Miss Val,” I smile at her.

“Where is my girlfriend?!” Harper yells. I see our friends’ eyes go wide. Simon looks smug. Why does he look smug?

“Calm down, Valkyrie. She’s  _ fine _ ,” I insist. 

“She isn’t fine if you’ve done something to her!” Harper growls. 

“I promise, she’s fine. Why don’t you go find her Miss Val?” I ask innocently. Then I smile, “she’s not in my hideout, as a hint. She could  _ anywhere  _ in this town. Good luck.” I fly out the broken window, laughing maniacally. 

I’ve made a mistake. I shouldn’t have had fun. Harper’s angry now, and my stupid decision is the reason. Why do I have to be so terrible?

The bigger question, though, is why did Simon look smug? Does he know? Oh god… he probably figured it out. He probably knew when he met me, and that’s why he was so rude!

I fly my old apartment building, which is the best hiding spot my frazzled brain can think of right now, and let the illusions on myself fade. 

I create fake bruises and bloody patches on my body. With a snap of my fingers, I make them hurt. I lay down on the roof, letting myself just bleed and ache. 

“Lovely performance, Christina.” Comes a male voice. 

My eyes pop open, “who’s there?” I call out.

Simon emerges from the shadows. “Ta-da~” he smiles knowingly. His green eyes seem to flash a brighter shade of green. 

“So. You knew.” I stare daggers at him, daring him to take another step. “How the  _ hell  _ did you find out?”

“Telepathy has its perks, Divergence.” He grins. “Mind control is by far the most useful power, won’t you agree?”

“So it was  _ you _ who controlled the clone!” I’m angry.  _ Beyond  _ angry. “I assume you told Harper and the others about me?” 

“Actually, no.” Simon examines his nails, looking very disinterested. “That’ll be our little secret. But, for a price.”

“And what would that be?” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Break up with Harper. She’s  _ mine. _ ” He growls. 

“ _ Hah!”  _ I laugh, “That’s funny. I actually thought you were serious for a second there. Good one.” I put my hands on my hips. “Not a chance, you asshole. She isn’t your goddamn property.”

“Fine. Then I guess I have no choice but to  _ make  _ you.” He grins wickedly. His eyes glow again, but nothing happens. “Wh.. what’s going on? Why isn’t it working?!” He shouts indignantly, stamping his foot.

“Sorry, I guess your dumbass mind control powers are useless to you.” I smile. He walks past me, grumbling, and goes inside the building.

I look down the skylight, trying to find him. I see a ball of paper that’s on fire fly across the room. I shoot up to my feet, although it hurts. In a matter of seconds, the apartment is on fire. I rush to the roof door, but it’s locked.  _ That bastard! _

“Chrissy?!” I here Harper’s voice shout.  _ Dammit!  _ I can’t fly away now that she’s here. “Chrissy, is that actually you?” She lands next to me.

“Yes! Please Harper, you have to help.” I grab her hands, starting to cry and already panicking. “The- the apartment building is on fire, and Simon is down there. Please, you have to help him.” Although Simon is rude and annoying, I’m not going to let him  _ die _ . I suppose I’m not much of a villain… any other one would let someone die. But me? I just can’t. 

“What?!” Harper looks down the skylight to see the flames. She tries the door like I did. “Stand back.” She uses her powers to manipulate the light and move the door. We run inside to the apartment where the fire is. Harper touches the handle and immediately pulls her hand back, hissing a sharp breath through clenched teeth. She shakes out her hand. “Is he in there?” 

“I-I don’t know if he got out or not. I was watching through the skylight and there was a crumpled ball of paper that was on fire and–!” I’m interrupted by a loud crashing sound, followed by creaking and falling wood. I hear people screaming as they run out of the building. 

Oh god… I never should’ve come here. 

Harper looks down at me, “we need to get out of here.” 

“But what about Simon?” I ask, genuinely worried. 

“There’s no way I get in there, babe. I-I’m sorry.” She hugs me and flies through where we came, setting me down on the sidewalk. The crowd around us cheers as they see her.

“It’s Valkyrie!”

“We’re saved!” 

They shout other things like that, all while clapping and cheering. 

I look up at Harper, who’s still hovering a few feet off the ground. “Go. Be a hero.” I squeeze her hand. She nods with a sad smile, then flies to go help the people still in the building.

*****

At home, Harper cleans off my cuts. But she still gives me skeptical looks. She probably thinks I’m just Divergence in disguise. Technically though, Divergence  _ is  _ a disguise. She’s a fabrication. I made her up when I was seven; she was my imaginary friend and protector. When I got older, I became her. I’m still me, but Divergence is just another me. 

“Harp,  _ please  _ stop looking at me like that. You look like I’m about to jumpscare you.” I say softly.

She sighs, “I’m sorry, it’s just…” she looks down at the floor, “Divergence disguised herself as you and tried to hide you from me. I’m scared that she’s trying again. I can’t…” she looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t lose you.” 

I get off the chair and wrap her in a hug on the floor. I hurt her. This is my fault, so now I have to fix it. I kiss her cheek and pull back, still gingerly holding her face in my hands. “Harper, I promise you that it’s me. And you won’t lose me. Even if you can’t find me for a while, I know you will eventually. After all, you’re my fearless little Valkyrie. And…” I bite my lip, “I care so much about you.”

She smiles bigger than I’ve ever seen her smile, and she wraps me back up in a tight hug. “I care about you a lot too. And I’ll always protect you, my princess.”

After a while, we turn the news on to hear about the fire. 

“And in other news, a building caught on fire and collapsed in downtown Newport. No one has been hospitalized, but there is one person who they didn’t find. A man by the name of Simon Curtis.” They show a picture of Simon on the screen. Harper tears up and chews her lip, clearly getting anxious. I take her hand.

“Luckily, no other injuries have been recorded, and everyone, with the one exception, was saved by Newport’s resident vigilante, Valkyrie. We’ll be right back an exclusive interview with our hero.” The news anchor smiles at the camera, then they cut to commercial. Harper shuts the tv off.

“I’m sorry.” I say, cupping her cheek and rubbing it with my thumb. It seems like a condolence, but the apology is so much deeper. If I hadn’t tried to mess with Harper today, none of this would’ve happened. Simon wouldn’t be dead. 

It feels like everything recently has been my fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a reason that the story isn’t actually tagged with “Major Character Death”, you’ll find out why soon


	11. Simon Says

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does everything have to go wrong? Why can’t the world just let Chrissy be happy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- mind control

One image left. The other two images don’t even appear anymore, these past two months. The last one is a female figure in a dark room. I’m starting to recognize it, but I can’t put my finger on who it is. She has broad shoulders, wide hips, and a thin waist. From what I can tell, she has long hair. But the figure is black, and I can’t make out her features. 

From those things I can see, she looks kind of like  _ Harper.  _ That’s her frame. She has long hair. I don’t know what’s up with the dark room, but it doesn’t look good. 

I sigh and lay my head down on my desk. It’s been a long day, I don’t need this stress. Harper had a photography job to take care of, and said she would be home soon. I put my headphones in and listen to a D&D podcast, like I usually do.

I’m about to start drawing when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I smile and turn around, “Harp– S-Simon…?” My eyes go wide. “But you– you’re– h-how are you alive…?”

Simon just smiles and punches me. My world goes dark. 

*****

“Chrissy, I’m… home?” Harper opens the door of the apartment and stops in her tracks. The table is turned over, along with the bookshelf, books scattered across the floor. The couch is demolished, and the glass coffee table is in pieces on the floor.

But Harper’s girlfriend is nowhere to be seen. 

“Chrissy? Chrissy!” She frantically calls as she walks through the apartment, her boots crunching on broken glass. She goes into Chrissy’s bedroom to see a stark white note sitting neatly on the desk, out of place in the chaos. 

Harper picks up the note and recognizes the spiraling handwriting of Divergence. She crushes the note in her fist as golden light envelope her, dying away to reveal her super suit. She rips open a window and flies out to get revenge on the villain who stole her girl  _ again _ . This was the last straw.

*****

I wake up slowly, my vision clearing. I look around the spacious room. There are crates in the corner, pushed all the way up against the wall so they aren’t in the way. Windows and skylights frame to whole top edge of the building. My eyes trail back down to the ground. There isn’t much to look at; it’s pretty much empty. I’m tied to a chain on the ground, in the dark. “Wait… is this the… warehouse?” This is my hideout. Years ago, I found this abandoned warehouse on the edge of town, and turned it into a hideout.

“Indeed, Christina. Your lair. Welcome back.” Simon’s voice echoes. A light turns on in the center, and my giant, red chair spins around to reveal him, smiling smugly.

“What the  _ hell _ , Simon?! I watched you die! How did you survive a goddamn building falling on you?” I shout, practically spitting.

“That was all staged.” He says simply, shrugging as if he hasn’t just put Harper through a shit ton of grief. 

“Well, you’re obviously going to do  _ something  _ to me, so why don’t you just tell me what you’re playing at?” I growl.

He shakes his head, laughing to himself.

“This isn’t funny,” I say. I want to scream. I want to strangle him.

“Oh, it’s hilarious. You just don’t understand why. Why don’t I  _ make  _ you understand?” He rips my necklace off of me. 

“Hey! Give that back!” I shout. “What the hell do you think you’re–”

“Ah, ah, ah!” He says, stepping on my hand. I cry out in pain. He could be breaking a finger. Oh  _ god,  _ he could break one. He’s making me panic, I can feel it, but my emotions are not mine right now. “You see, I realized the only way to control you was to take away that necklace of yours. It was made by Harper, a truly heavenly force, to protect you from other villains and heroes using their powers on you. So I thought, take away the necklace, gain a minion. It’s quite clever, don’t you agree?” 

“You’re disgusting.” I growl, my voice low and angry.

He leans down to my level, “aren’t we all,  _ Divergence? _ ” He smiles and his eyes glow green. Burning pain tears through me, and I scream as I lose control of my body. Oh god… I can’t move  _ anything _ . I’m at the whim of this nineteen-year-old twerp. 

*****

Harper lands in the middle of the street, right where the note said to go. “Well? I’m waiting! Show yourself!” She yells into the night. A street lamp blinks on the corner, catching her attention. Out of the shadows behind the lamp, a woman steps into the light, revealing that it is Divergence. 

The hero plants her feet and slides into a fighting stance. But instead of trying to fight her, Divergence flies up to a rooftop above. She starts to run. 

Harper flies up to catch up with Divergence, landing and immediately taking off into a sprint. The villain drops off the edge of the roof and swings into a window. 

_ Divergence’s lair…?  _ Harper thinks to herself, after landing on the floor. She takes a few steps, her footfalls echoing softly. 

*****

I can only see what’s going on, not control my body. As soon as I saw Harper in her suit, I realized Simon’s plan; he’s going to reveal my secret identity to her. 

“Ah, Miss Valkyrie, welcome back~” The words come from my lips, but I don’t say them. “Took you long enough.”My eyes trace down her face. She’s devastatingly beautiful when she’s angry, and  _ god,  _ this is the last time I'm ever going to see her happy, isn’t it? The last kiss I was able to give her was before she left for her photo gig. That’s the last one, isn’t it? “Quite angry, I see.”

“Where’s Chrissy.” She doesn’t ask it. It’s a demand. I understand her anger, and the fact that it’s about to be multiplied is  _ breaking _ me.

“Right here.” I feel my illusions fade. “Christina Chandler and I are one in the same person. Divergence is a fabrication. I have been hiding my true identity since we met.” I feel a smile plaster itself across my face. 

Shock and confusion, those are the first things to cross her face. “But… you captured Chrissy several times.”

“Clones. You know I can make anything I want appear.” I hate this. The feeling of it all is just so wrong.

Sadness comes to her features, and she shakes her head in disbelief. “Chrissy, I  _ liked you _ . Does that mean anything? I trusted you, but you lied from the moment I met you.”

Simon’s mind control fades and a small scream escapes my mouth. I sink to my knees, the sudden release making it impossible to stand. Tears find my eyes, and I clutch my arms to my chest. “Harper…” my voice shakes with barely any volume, “I’m sorry. I… I know I shouldn’t have done that. I-I just wanted to pretend I was normal. I’m sure you understand?”

“Of  _ course _ , I get that. But you should’ve told me.” Her hands shake with silent fury as she walks toward me. 

“I know. I  _ know,  _ and I’m so, so sorry.” I look up at her, tears blurring my vision. “If you’re going to leave me forever, though– if you don’t want to date me anymore– I just have two questions. One, would you have felt the same, if you had known sooner?”

“I… I actually probably might’ve.” She laughs a soft, sad note. “I mean, now that I know, I kind of see the similarities.” She looks down, then back up, smiling a little as she begins to cry. “Remember that time when you were going to kiss me cheek to intimidate me when we were fighting, but you ended up just kissing me?” She laughs a bit more, wiping her eyes. “I wondered why it felt so familiar when I kissed you on the roof the first time.”

“Heh, yeah…” A small smile comes to my own face. “But, um, my second question is, where were you in those few months you disappeared for?”

Her expression goes blank. “I…” she shakes her head, which is what she usually does when she’s trying to think. “I don’t remember. Whatever happened was taken out of my head. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry.” I insist, reaching for her hand. “Harper, I need to tell you something important. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to finish it because-” I lower my voice so Simon can’t hear- “because I’ve been mind controlled. And if he hears me he’ll–  _ ah!”  _ My head feels like it’s exploding. 

“Chrissy? Chrissy, oh my god-” she kneels down next to me, but I’m suddenly looking up at her, my eyes boring into her. I want to tell her to run, but I can’t. I’m standing and staring down at her before I realize what’s going on. 

Simon lets go for a split second, and I tell her to run in that second I have, giving her worried eyes. But he controls me again before I can do anything else. I see her nod and fly away. 

“Shall I send you after her?” Simon smiles, “or shall I erase her mind of the good parts of that. I can make her hate you, like she was  _ supposed to _ .” He looks down at me, “oh wait, I just did.”

His grip leaves me again, and I fall to the ground. Simon has a dumb as hell grin on his face and he says something cocky and shitty as he leaves. I don’t hear it, I just sob in the middle of the warehouse floor. 

That night, I go to the apartment. The lights are on, but no one’s there. I fly through an open window. Earlier, I planned to just collect some of my things and swear to never see Harper again. But… as soon as I saw  _ it _ , everything changed. 

The mural has been destroyed. Harper must’ve used her light manipulation powers to take the color out of it. Then she, or Simon, had taken a sledgehammer to the wall. I fly out of the apartment; I just can’t take it.

I fly to the warehouse because I don’t know where else to go. I sit on the floor, in the dark, letting all of my tears out. 

The sudden echo of slow clapping startles me out of my daze. “Fantastic job, Christina. Lovely! You’ve done exactly what I needed you to do. Here, have this back.” He throws the necklace to me. I twirl it in my fingers, staring at incomprehensibly. “C’mon, cheer up! You weren’t meant for her anyway. Remember: the villain doesn’t get the girl in the end.” He laughs, “now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to collect my  _ prize. _ ” 

The way he talks about Harper is disgusting.


	12. Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrissy is sorry. She’s so so sorry. But can sorry save Harper?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning:  
> \- gun mention  
> \- gunshot wound  
> \- vague ending

He’s taken everything from me. Harper was-  _ is  _ my whole world. I love her with everything I have. Simon doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as her. Not that I do either, but he’s disgusting and needs to keep his perverted thoughts away from her. 

I sit on the roof of the warehouse. I haven’t bothered with my illusions since Harper found out two days ago. What’s the point of trying anymore? 

“That’s right, why try?” I hear Simon say. Of course he’s here. Why must he keep pestering me?

“What do you want, Simon?” I ask, annoyed. 

“Why do I have to want something? I  _ just  _ want to speak to my  _ darling _ friend.” He gives me a fake sympathetic smile.

I roll my eyes and turn back to where I was looking. It’s almost sunset. I know it’s a lost cause, but I fly to the apartment and sit in the usual spot.

Tears cascade down my face as the golden glow appears. Six months worth of this memory, all gone to waste. 

“Harper,” I whisper, “I’m so sorry…” my voice cracks and I look away from the sunset. 

I sigh and stand up, not looking at the sky. I turn around to see Harper and Simon standing there. 

“H-Harper!” I smile a bit, standing up. “H-hey, what you doing here?”

“Say goodnight, Harper.” Simon smirks.

“Goodnight.” Harper smacks me across the face with a baseball bat. 

*****

I wake up in the warehouse, tied to a chair. My necklace is gone again. Simon stands in front of me.

“Really, dude?” I roll my eyes, “You are so lame, you know that?”

He just smiles and turns to the door behind him. “Oh, Harper~?”

Harper emerges from the shadows, wearing a dark silver catsuit. She stares at me with pure rage and hate in her eyes. But this is  _ Harper _ we’re talking about here- even before she knew me as Chrissy, she didn’t look at me this way. I know her; Harper doesn’t have the contempt to hate someone. Simon is controlling her, and I can’t fix it.

Harper stands over me, her eyes no longer blue, but green and wild, appearing as if there is something behind them, something dark and inhuman. “Harper, this isn’t you!” I plead.

“Oh, the Harper you knew…” She tilts her head to the side and grins, the sadistic smile not making it to her eyes like her regular one does, “she’s gone.”  


What has Simon  _ done _ to her?

Speaking of that rat, he comes up behind Harper and slips an arm around her waist. She smiles at him; it’s that loving smile she used to reserve only for me. Tears sting the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away.   
  
“I have some work to attend to, darling. You may kill this vile betrayer if you wish.” He tells her. He walks away, and I hear a door open and slowly swing close behind me.    
  
Harper walks toward me with a scowl on her face. That look- she just isn’t herself. Harper’s usual bouncy gate is gone, replaced by cool, calculated steps, and she bears an expression so cold, I couldn’t of imagined it before this moment. It’s like everything that makes her who she is has been stripped away, leaving a perfect vessel for whatever Simon wants her to be. A  _ pet _ .

I can tell she didn’t choose what she’s wearing, either. Form-fitting fabric accentuates all her curves in a way I know she would usually avoid. Apparently not this Harper. 

As she lifts the axe in her hands, I try to think of a way to stop her. And thank  _ goodness _ , one appears.   
  
“ _ WAIT!! _ ” I shout. Harper stops, an emotion ripping through the cold shell for a second before being pushed back behind the ice. But it made her pause. “Before you kill me.. I want to talk to you one last time.”

“What is there to say, you lying snake?!” She snaps. Her eyes hold a slight madness, this twisted version of my Harper unsure what to do with the emotions that are now clouding her mind, which are bursting forth, threatening to break all the defenses Simon put up against them.

I swallow painfully; she’s right. But I need to keep going. “There was something you did forever ago that I’ve never forgotten. When we met, you explained your favorite place to take a picture: the roof of the apartment. And when you explained that sky, I swear, it was like your eyes held the world. I had no idea was in for. I had no that…” I start to cry; I can’t help it, “we’d have our first kiss on that roof, Harper. I had no clue that I’d feel the way I do about you now.   
  
“I know I  _ cannot _ make up for what I’ve done. I don’t deserve you– I never did. You can kill me. It’s alright. I just want you to know that I…” I take a deep breath. “I love you.” My head sinks, and I close my eyes. “I love you,  _ so _ much. And you will always be my Valkyrie.” I let the tears flow down my cheeks.    


I don’t care about anything anymore. I have lost everything, so why not my life too? But the final blow never comes. I look up.

Harper is crying, and she sinks to her knees. Her axe drops next to her.    
  
“H-Harper...?” I ask.    


She looks up, her eyes are swollen with tears, “Oh Chrissy... baby, I’m so sorry.” Her voice is breathy.   
  
“You have nothing to apologize for, Harper.” I say gently. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”   
  
“But I  _ did _ do something wrong!” Her hands shake as she speaks, “When I found out and I left, I didn’t know what to do… you warned me to run, and I did. I flew to where Simon had been buried alive. A-as it turned out, he was alright. He was a little shaken, but there wasn’t a  _ scratch _ on him. But, you knew that already. Of course I was shocked, but also kind of relieved. I went to hug him then…” She blinks the tears out of her eyes, “h-he mind controlled me. I was aware of everything, but I couldn’t control my body. I realized that he was the person you had tried to warn me about. I saw you. I didn’t want to hurt you. I _ don’t  _ want to hurt you. I… I love you.” She cups my cheek and presses her forehead to mine, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I smile sadly, “I knew you were in there. You–!” I am stopped short by a loud bang and then pain in my back. I cry out as searing hot pain pierces me.

I can’t think; I can only feel the white hot pain of a bullet in my back. My vision swims in front of me, black at the edges. I see Harper run past me, but I don’t know why.    
  
All my mind does is repeat two words:   


_ Inhale _ .   


_ Exhale _ .   


I hear more of those ear-splitting bangs as I grimace in pain. I hear a fourth, and I cannot see anymore.   


_ Everything _ is dark.


End file.
